وَسُيِّرَتِ ٱلْجِبَالُ فَكَانَتْ سَرَابًا 20
Translations
And the mountains are removed and will be [but] a mirage.
Transliteration
Wa-suyyirat al-jibal fa-kanat saraba
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes one of the catastrophic events of the Day of Judgment, wherein the mountains will be set in motion and will appear as a mirage (sarāb). Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi explain that the mountains, which appear as the most solid and immovable objects in creation, will lose their substance and become like the shimmering appearance of water in a desert—a profound symbol of the dissolution of all material reality. This imagery emphasizes the absolute power of Allah to transform the physical world and the futility of relying on the permanence of earthly things.
Revelation Context
Surah An-Naba is a Meccan surah that comprehensively describes the Day of Judgment and its terrors, specifically addressing those who disputed the reality of the Hereafter. This particular ayah is part of a vivid sequence (verses 18-20) depicting the cosmic upheaval and destruction that will occur on the Day of Resurrection, intended to awaken the hearts of the disbelievers in Mecca to the certainty of the afterlife.
Related Hadiths
The Prophet (ﷺ) said: 'The Hour will not be established until the mountains will fly like the clouds' (Sahih Bukhari). Also relevant: 'On the Day of Judgment, the earth will be changed into a different earth and the heavens too' (Sahih Muslim), emphasizing the complete transformation of creation.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds believers not to be deceived by the apparent permanence and solidity of the physical world, as even mountains—symbols of stability—will be utterly transformed. It calls us to focus on eternal matters and prepare for the inevitability of the Hereafter rather than investing our hearts solely in temporal possessions.
Related Ayahs
وَكُلَّ إِنسَـٰنٍ أَلْزَمْنَـٰهُ طَـٰٓئِرَهُۥ فِى عُنُقِهِۦ ۖ وَنُخْرِجُ لَهُۥ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ كِتَـٰبًا يَلْقَىٰهُ مَنشُورًا
And [for] every person We have imposed his fate upon his neck, and We will produce for him on the Day of Resurrection a record which he will encounter spread open.
يَوْمَ تَبْيَضُّ وُجُوهٌ وَتَسْوَدُّ وُجُوهٌ ۚ فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ٱسْوَدَّتْ وُجُوهُهُمْ أَكَفَرْتُم بَعْدَ إِيمَـٰنِكُمْ فَذُوقُوا۟ ٱلْعَذَابَ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَكْفُرُونَ
On the Day [some] faces will turn white and [some] faces will turn black. As for those whose faces turn black, [to them it will be said], "Did you disbelieve [i.e., reject faith] after your belief? Then taste the punishment for what you used to reject."
لَوْ يَعْلَمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ حِينَ لَا يَكُفُّونَ عَن وُجُوهِهِمُ ٱلنَّارَ وَلَا عَن ظُهُورِهِمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُنصَرُونَ
If those who disbelieved but knew the time when they will not avert the Fire from their faces or from their backs and they will not be aided...
وَمَا ظَنُّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَفْتَرُونَ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ ٱلْكَذِبَ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَذُو فَضْلٍ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ لَا يَشْكُرُونَ
And what will be the supposition of those who invent falsehood about Allāh on the Day of Resurrection? Indeed, Allāh is the possessor of bounty for the people, but most of them are not grateful.